Arata places second in a tournament, stating that is true goal is to face Chihaya in the high school championship. Meanwhile, Chihaya and the others prepare to participate in the regional team championship. Following an incident where Akihiro attempts to include himself in the team in order to impress his brothers, Tsutomu suggests they switch up the play order to include Sumire and Akihiro, wanting to give them the second chance the others gave him the previous year. After clearing the first round, Akihiro finds himself up against a Class A opponent in the second round. Although nervous to begin with, Akihiro receives some encouragement from Chihaya and uses the tips he learnt from Tsutomu and Yusei to take a few cards from his opponent. Chihaya's team wins the round and, despite losing his own match, Akihiro gains some praise from his brothers. Meanwhile, Shinobu learns that Arata will be participating in the individual tournament.